winners and losers
by The Neliel Tu
Summary: crappy title, suck it. Nnoi and Nel. Nnoitra gets hired on at Nelliel's store and she ends up training him and stuff. Implied smut. Happy NnoiNel day. ONESHOT. Romance genre used ironically.


_Nnoitra x Nelliel, AU, implied smut, laziness. _

_This stupid little idea up and bit me whilst I was working. And hearing a manager call people to check all day long. _

_And so, I came up with this and damn do I feel clever. The end. Go read now. _

Nelliel was definitely not amused. She had only been on the clock for about 45 minutes and already, it was bedlam. Upon arriving, the day shift manager had told her of six call ins and two no shows. Oh, Nelliel was not happy at all.

But she had to work through until close...somehow. And maybe without killing someone or something.

It seemed as though every ten minutes she was endlessly calling for back up, calling every department, man and woman she could think of that could possibly cashier or bag groceries for a bit. And yet, it still wasn't enough.

No. Even though it was a Tuesday, and Tuesdays were _never _busy the lack of help was showing. She found herself on the phone multiple times begging anyone to come in for even just a couple hours—and when finally relief came, disaster struck in a whole new way at five o' clock.

Well, really, it was ten minutes until, but she wasn't really paying much attention to the clock.

"Nelliel, you gonna be okay?" One of her nicer cashiers asked during a lull. Nelliel took a break from massaging her temples to answer.

"Yeah, if we can just make it until eight we'll be just fine." She returned, sighing. "Honestly, who even calls in on a Tuesday? I just don't understand!" She palmed her face and shook her head. The cashier chuckled her agreement.

"Yo." A voice intruded into Nelliel's thoughts, and she found herself looking up—and up some more into a violet eye—the other being obscured by messy black hair. Her breath caught in her throat and she froze for a moment, forgetting that she was supposed to greet him with a smile and be as friendly as all get out. No, she only stared quietly, and he returned her stare boldly, a leer stretching his lips.

"Is there something I can help you with, _sir?_" She asked, unable to keep the hint of snarkiness from her voice. He sounded a laugh, a harsh sound, and that disgusting grin only widened.

"Yeah. I'm here fer an interview."

"For a what?" Nelliel couldn't stop herself from saying it, and he scoffed at her, making it clear he wasn't about to repeat himself. "It's awfully late for an interview." She mused to herself, looking away from him to break the apparent spell he had over her.

"Whatever." He lazily waved his hand at her. "He told me five. So I'm here."

"Fine, I'll page him down to customer service for you." She told him, and walked off to the counter. As she talked on the phone, she couldn't help but survey this prospective employee—_God I hope he doesn't get hired—_and ascertain his state of attire. He was well dressed, he was wearing a tie for god's sake, a tie! And it looked _natural_ on him. Sure, she had to wear a tie, but it was for work. He was acting like this whole get up was for pleasure! And if he didn't pull it off...

"Tell him to come right up." The words registered in her head finally and she made her reply that she would send him, and forgot that she hadn't even asked for his name.

"Um—sir." She approached the tall man awkwardly, hazel eyes wide. "He says go right on up. Do you...do you need me to show you the way?" She asked, mentally kicking herself. She didn't _want _to show him the way to anything, she was _busy_!

"I got it." He replied to her great relief, and she turned from him.

"Good luck." She wished him over her shoulder, all the while sabotaging him in her head. And he _ignored _her.

_What a scumbag._ She thought to herself, forgetting him instantly as she, yet again, repeated the cycle of calling endless names and endless departments. Help check, help bag, help get carts, help help help. And Nelliel was, once again, definitely not amused.

–

She had the next two days off, thankfully, and when she returned to work the following Friday, she found that there was a new name on her checker list. _3pm-11pm, Nnoitra G _

_ Oh god, did he get the job already? _She wondered, panicking. How was that even possible?

It was 2:55. She was _always _early. And he was sure to punch in exactly on time.

The five minutes passed agonizingly slowly. Nelliel paced back and forth endlessly, marking notes on her 4x10 index card of names and numbers, planning out breaks and assigning registers.

Her state of panic was so apparent that even customers were steering clear. And then, _he _walked up to her.

"Got somethin' for me to do?" He was asking, and she was resisting the urge to recoil, to run, to _anything _but answer him and tell him to check on register five.

"Go check on five." She told him as impassively as she could muster, and a grin split his face. _Is it possible that he can see right through me? _

"Sure." He was surprisingly compliant—and Nelliel wondered why it was such a shock to her. She didn't even _know _this guy. She'd only just met him a few days ago! And yet, his obedience to her seemed so strange and so out of character.

She chose not to dwell on it and at least only had to deal with him when he needed overrides, price checks, and his break. And it was even stranger to her that he was willingly allowing her to fix his mistakes, and she didn't know why.

At eleven o' clock, she shut his light off. "All right, Nnoitra, you can go home," She said. "Thanks." She walked off before he could respond, not even bothering to remind him about the usual end of shift duties. Her quick scan of his register had told her he'd done everything he was supposed to do—or so it looked—and she didn't care to be around him too long.

Now, it was just her and the night crew. She was stuck for another hour, and she made use of the time by sitting behind the counter, writing out a few notes. The day had gone smoothly, and she didn't have much left to do at all. It was a relief, really, and for a Friday, she was calm.

Until she looked up and saw him standing idly at the counter.

"Do you need something, Nnoitra?" She asked coolly, willing herself to remain calm. "If you've clocked out, you can just leave." She told him, and he merely snorted derisively.

"I know I can fuckin' leave." He retorted, and her eyes widened noticeably. "Just thought I'd bug ya for a minute."

"Well." She looked back down at her note, trying desperately to pretend he wasn't there. And just _why _did she have to be the only one at the counter? Her night checker was off straightening a shelf or something, and the store was completely dead. "Don't you...oh, I don't know, have plans tonight? It _is _Friday."

"Nah." He leaned over the counter then, as though testing her to see just how close he could get. She bristled, but did not move. "Don't _you _have plans?"

"_I _have a date with a Charles Dickens nov-" She cut herself off, inwardly slapping herself. _Way to have a life, Nelliel._ She thought. And there it was. His laughter, brutal, cutting like a hot knife through butter.

"I shoulda known." He shook his head at her, as though attempting to shame her. "Ya know, your type's supposed t'be incredible in bed."

"And this is grounds for sexual harassment."

"I'm off the clock." He shrugged. "Besides, ya don't have guts."

"Please." She tossed her head. But he was right, she didn't care enough to whine about this to her higher ups. And as if they would believe her anyway!

"Ya can't write me up anyway, can ya?" He drawled, and she could swear he was undressing her with his eyes—and she found it funny that she was realizing so suddenly that he did indeed have two of them—and she felt so vulgar, so exposed.

"Well, you _are _off the clock. But I do have work to do. You're welcome to stick around if that's _really _what you want to do." She sniffed derisively, attempting to imply that he was a pathetic loser to hang around a _grocery store _on a Friday night. If he wasn't a loser, he'd be dry humping some woman in the back of his car, right?

"Ya trying to say I'm a loser fer hanging around?" He practically growled. "Whatever. Ya just lost yer chance for a cup of coffee."

"Who says I even like coffee?" She retorted. Of course, she _loved _coffee, and the stuff practically swam through her veins, but she would _never _go for a cup of coffee with this man.

"Suit yerself, stuck up bitch." He snorted and walked off. And Nelliel felt a sharp pang in her stomach which she could not describe or decipher for the life of her.

–

They didn't speak for a month. He was being trained for customer service, and Nelliel was _supposed _to be the trainee. And boy, did she ever rebel. She had tried to pawn it off on another manager, but he only laughed and shook his head. And she really had no choice.

Nnoitra leered. It was clear to her that he was _loving _the attention she was _forced _to give him. And it was clear that he knew she hated every moment of this. And he loved that, too.

And she hated that he loved it.

Nelliel resigned herself to this torture with a cheerful grin and a bright attitude. And maybe she could mask the distaste in her eyes and voice every time she talked to him and pretend that it wasn't sexual tension and she didn't want him didn't think he was sexy didn't didn't didn't.

"Oy, Nelliel, what am I supposed to do here?" He asked, and she leaned over, scanning the receipt he was currently attempting to decipher.

"You're supposed to give that to the customer. It means he paid for his items and can leave the store." She told him matter of factly, and she could see the aggravation in his eyes. And suddenly, she found a way to swing this apparent game in her favor. Degradation.

"Obviously." He scoffed. "If ya were doin' yer managerial duties instead of daydreaming _about me naked..."_ he trailed off, his voice a hoarse whisper detectable only by her. She resisted the urge to slam her hand down upon the counter or into his stomach, instead reminding herself that she could _take care of this later_ and he wouldn't look so smug when she had.

"Nnoitra." She sighed, shaking her head. "That's no way to talk to a manager. This is your first strike. Three more, and I'll have you written up."

"Oh, three more, eh?" He leered. She looked to the receipt, and to the empty counter before her.

"I meant _two _more. Don't think you'll be getting off so easily."

"I wasn't planning on it." He leered, and she _really _wanted to slap the taste out of his mouth. But she didn't. Instead, she took the receipt in hand and waved it in his face.

"So, what'd you do to scare _this _customer off, eh? Did you grin at him?"

His leer turned to a scowl in an instant and he snatched the piece of paper from her hand, but not before she saw something scrawled on the back of it.

"Hey, wait a minute!" She, through some miracle, snatched the receipt back from him to read the writing. _A phone number. _ And her name. But it wasn't _her _phone number... "Are you trying to give me your number, Nnoitra?" She asked quietly, and he rolled his eyes and took the paper from her, ripping it to shreds before she could react.

"Absolutely fucking not."

–

Once Nnoitra was fully trained for the customer service counter, Nelliel went another blissful month without talking to him. Sure, she saw him at work almost every day, sure, she had to send him on break, but she had figured out a way to do so without speaking to him.

Whenever he was working customer service, she would point to him, and then to the clock. And whenever he was checking, she would simply shut off his light and indicate that she was timing him.

He hadn't worked a 3pm-11pm shift in the past two months, and Nelliel was frankly enjoying her reprieve. Until another Friday night rolled around and they were both on the floor at three pm. She wanted to scream, to rage, to anything, for she knew that this night, her silence would be broken, and her patience would be tested. And she was right.

"Nelliel, you're not running the front tonight. You're showing Nnoitra how to run the back tonight."

"E-excuse me?" And she realized she was talking back to upper management, and she knew it was wrong. But the reaction had come completely unbidden, and she was stricken.

"You heard me." And that was that. Nelliel palmed her face and composed herself in the span of 30 seconds. Then, she turned around and walked right into Nnoitra. She nearly fell over, but he caught her under her armpits, which were _sweating _from the adrenaline coursing through her veins. And yet, he said nothing. He only leered down at her, wiping his hands off on his pants once she'd balanced herself. Had it been anyone else, she would have shown gratitude.

But it was _Nnoitra._ And she was stuck with him for the entire night.

At first, they worked in peace. Nelliel only had to tell him what to stock and he did it. She only had to show him something once and he learned it. _Why _she was teaching him to be a manager was beyond her, but she wasn't going to go against management. She _couldn't. _

At seven o'clock, she took her break, and he went with her because _we're probably ahead cause I'm such a fucking good employee._

She ate her lunch quietly, a simple sandwich cut in half diagonally, a sliced up orange, carrots, cauliflower and ranch, and a bottle of water. Nnoitra curled his lip in disgust at her food, sinking his teeth into a steak sandwich he'd acquired from the deli.

"Watchin' yer figure, eh, Nelliel?" He teased, and she perked a brow at him.

"No, actually." She smiled sweetly, inclining her head at him. "I just like to eat healthy. Is that a crime, Nnoitra?"

He grumbled something under his breath, and she looked out the window, pretending to ignore him. He set his sandwich down, and she swore she could hear his aggravation growing.

She slowly picked up her sandwich and finished it off, all without looking at him. Then, she was devouring the rest, her eyes trained on the food, the source of nutrition, and he was _glaring _at her the entire time. "Your sandwich is going to get cold." She told him innocently. And he scowled as he resumed eating.

She yawned and produced a thermos from her lunch bag, sipping at her iced coffee. It was really the only way she could ever get herself motivated to finish a shift, as she disliked working until midnight. But it was a living, and a living she really needed.

"Is that...coffee?" Nnoitra asked suddenly, and she looked up.

"Yes. It is." She frowned lightly at him. "And I'm not sharing."

"I don't want any. I thought ya didn't like coffee."

"I never said that." She smiled, briefly recollecting one of their early conversations. "I only meant that I didn't want to get coffee with _you._"

"...bitch." But the word rolled off of his tongue in a strange way. It wasn't degrading, it was appreciating, and Nelliel was baffled. It wasn't so much at the fact he was appreciating her, she _knew _she was clever. It was more so at the fact that he could take such a derogatory word and make it sound so endearing. And even more so at the fact that _Nnoitra _was being _endearing_.

"You asked. I answered." She replied simply, taking another long drink and cleaning up her mess. "Hurry up and finish, we have work to do."

And he mutter _bitch _again, only this time it _was _derogatory and Nelliel was sure she'd imagined any tone of endearment in his voice before.

–

The end of the night rolled around surprisingly quickly, and the front end manager had left a little bit early, citing a late dinner as an excuse. Nelliel shrugged it off, the other managers _usually _covered her if she needed it.

A rush of pure, unadulterated fury swept over her as she realized it would be only her and Nnoitra walking to their cars. And she knew he had parked next to her—if only to infuriate her. Oh, and was she _ever _infuriated.

She punched out, bought herself a bottle of rum, and found Nnoitra waiting for her at the front door.

"You don't have to wait for me." She told him.

"Ya ain't walking to your car alone." He replied calmly, eying her purchase. "Oh, a little light drinkin' tonight, eh?"

"I've got a weekend off for once, I might as well. I could use it, especially after dealing with _you_ all day."

"Oh, and I was gonna ask t'join ya, but now that you mention it, yer a handful too." And there it was, that same disgusting grin she had grown to despise. They walked to the parking lot in silence, and as they reached her car, she finally broke down and spoke.

"I'd never let _you_ drink with me."

"Oh, still thinkin' about that? I think yer lying." He retorted, and she fumed.

"No. I'm not." She opened her car door, and he stood beside her stubbornly. "Really." She stared at him helplessly for a long moment before seating herself in her car and slamming the door. And as she drove out of the lot, she could feel him watching her, and knew he wouldn't get in his car until she'd disappeared from sight.

And for whatever reason, she wasn't as creeped out as she normally would be. And while she sat on her bedroom floor nursing her bottle of rum and occasionally a swig of cola, she contemplated giving in to his strange advances and tried to talk herself out of it.

But a drunk Nelliel was an honest Nelliel, and honest Nelliel admitted to feeling _something _for her perverted coworker, whether it was only lust or curiosity or just _what exactly_. And the more she drank, the more she wanted to explore this feeling, but sober Nelliel wanted to stop drinking and forget the whole matter.

So Nelliel settled for sleeping, though her head was spinning, and she had to cling to her sheets to steady herself.

–

They worked together again on the following Sunday. Nelliel was quieter than usual. Nnoitra found himself baffled that she wasn't making snarky remarks or shutting him down. No, instead, she was only giving him simple and quiet answers, and teaching him.

Well, she was being tolerable, at least.

And yet, he couldn't resist picking at her.

"Oy, Nelliel, what's with ya today? Get laid or somethin'?" He leered at her when finally they sat down to eat, and she looked up at him quietly, a serene smile on her face.

"So what if I did? Will that make you jealous, Nnoitra?" She asked, and he scoffed, rolling his eyes and looking to the side.

"No, 'course not. That's stupid."

"Well, of course I did. What else would I do on my weekend? Read?" She sniffed, and he slapped his hand against the table as gently as he could muster.

"Now that's more like it. That's the Nelliel I know and hate."

"Oh, hate is such a strong word." She turned her face away, attempting to merely feign hurt, but then it began to come across as too real, and she stood suddenly, swaying to the bathroom to find some semblance of composure. Well, she definitely hadn't wanted him to say the _L_ word.

She stood in front of the mirror for what seemed an eternity, wondering what about her could possibly be hated. And the longer she stood, the more it escaped her grasp. And so she took a deep breath, splashed her face with cold water, faked a smile and left the bathroom.

Nnoitra was waiting for her outside the door, and she jumped, startled. "What are you doing?" She demanded.

"Just tryin' to listen." He retorted, and she caught sight of something strange in his eyes, concern? No, it definitely wasn't concern. He _hated _her, and she hated him in return, right? So of course it wasn't concern.

"You're disgusting." She replied, lifting her chin and walking away from him. "We've got work to do."

"You didn't finish your food." He told her, and she rolled her eyes.

"So what? I'm not hungry."

"Oh, really? Whatever, here." He handed over her lunchbox, and she clutched it to her chest. And she would have thanked him if not for the fact that he _hated _her and he was looking after her for some reason.

"Whatever." She began to walk off, but he caught her wrist and turned her toward him.

"Don't fucking walk away from me," He breathed, and she stared up into violet eyes, frozen in time and space. She wasn't terrified, but she had to remind herself to breathe in, breathe out, and standing still was a chore. He didn't grin that disgusting grin, he only glared down at her, his brow wrinkled in seeming curiosity.

"And so what if I do? I am _above _you, Nnoitra." She swallowed a lump and forced a smile. "And therefore, you cannot tell me what to do." However, she remained still, her actions contradicting her words.

"Ya ain't moving." He growled, and bent down so that he was whispering into her mouth. "_I win._"

She took a step closer and punched him in the stomach before he could make any further moves on her. "_I don't think so._" Her voice was low, and as he let go of her, she turned and walked from him, thankful that no one important had been watching that little scene unfold.

After a long moment, Nelliel heard his footsteps behind her and smiled to herself. No, he wouldn't win.

–

At around 10:30pm, Nnoitra and Nelliel found themselves alone in the backroom and bored. Nelliel didn't want to admit to boredom, but Nnoitra was quick to voice it.

"This is fuckin' boring." He yawned. "Entertain me."

"It isn't my job to entertain _you._" She returned.

"Ooh, yer already doing a good job, keep it up, Nelliel."

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms, leaning against a pallet and looking away from him stubbornly. She didn't expect him to take her chin in his hands and turn her face to his.

"I said entertain me, dammit."

"Go find something to clean." She retorted. She refused to move an inch, she refused to give in to him.

"Again? Nah." There it was. His disgusting leer.

"Stay away from me, Nnoitra." She demanded, but he only laughed and moved closer to her.

"Nah."

"Nnoitra. I am your superior and you have to do as I s-" He cut her off with a sharp kiss, locking her wrists in his large, strong hands. She struggled against him to no avail, and the kiss lasted long enough for her to give in. And giving in turned to kissing him back.

Kissing him back caused him to drop her wrists and run his fingers through her hair. And Nelliel's arms wrapped around his neck, standing on her toes to reach him.

"Upstairs. _Now._" She demanded huskily. And he obliged.

–

Nelliel was filled with regret at the end of the night. Nnoitra just couldn't shut up, and all she wanted was to be left alone. She always did after such an act.

"Whatcha so mad for, Nelliel? Ya finally got some. That makes _normal _people happy."

She finally snapped. "Nnoitra, I suggest you watch your mouth. Someone might overhear you and realize what you're saying. And I don't feel like losing my job over you."

He only smirked.

–

Months of night shifts with Nnoitra passed. Nelliel wasn't so much thrilled with their "relationship" but couldn't really end it. On the one hand, they were coworkers and she couldn't really escape him. On the other hand, it was the best hate sex she'd ever had.

An overcast Monday morning found her in the director's office.

"Nelliel, Nnoitra told us about what happens in the back room at night."

And panic had her heart pounding like mad. They couldn't _possibly _be talking about what she thought they were talking about, could they?

"He has proof that you forced yourself upon him numerous times. And this will not go without consequences."

"E-excuse me?" Hazel eyes widened, and she could feel tears welling up. Not so much tears of sadness—she hated this stupid job anyway—but tears of frustration and anger because Nnoitra had done such a dirty thing to her. She sighed, shutting her eyes and willing away the tears.

"And will you try and stop me from working elsewhere?" She demanded, and he chuckled.

"No. I'll even help—as long as you promise not to sleep with any of your new coworkers."

Nelliel winced and shook her head. "You know, he's twisting this around to blackmail me for whatever stupid reason."

"Oh, of course I know." Director chuckled and leaned back in his comfortable office chair. "But we can't prove otherwise. So, if you'd like, we can transfer you to another department, another store—whatever you'd like."

Nelliel sighed deeply, making a mental note to destroy Nnoitra later on.

And the worst part of it all was that Nnoitra had won.

_End._


End file.
